February 2005 update

Bridging the gap between the urban 'haves' and the rural 'have-nots' by way of selling village handicrafts, highlights the activities in February. Kamala Parekh and Vibha Patil organized two jewelery exhibitions in the nearby large city of Nashik. These events went very well and created a lot of interest in the jewelery made by the Belgaon Dhaga women entrepreneurs.

Also in February, a drip irrigation expert from International Development Enterprises (IDE) visited Chandu's water pond and organized a workshop on Water Management. Ten young farmers will be installing drip irrigation systems using loans provided by the local self-help group, GSBG. This training workshop will allow them to get the maximum benefit from their new water systems.